Revelations (Part 3)

A person, who claims to be a Christian, once posted this meme to a Facebook page. I consider their use of this meme ironic. Unless I am mistaken, Jesus was the Shepard. Not the leader of wolves. He left his flock to save a single lost lamb. And he did so without using violence. In fact, he endured it instead. 

For me, this meme speaks deeply to what is wrong with our present-day political and cultural discourse.

 

Tonight, I wanted to share about the progress of eighty seedlings I planted a month ago. But, at the moment, I consider it irrelevant.

Then, I hoped to produce a post inspired by an exchange from a YouTube video about a great comedian. However, I determined that this was not the right time.

Eventually, I decided to write about my three-hour ordeal with the pool pump, and how it interfered with my plans for the week. Yet, now I deem the struggle quite insignificant.

Finally, I made several attempts to convey my thoughts about this past week in a rational, constructive manner. None of them succeeded.

For now, I am only able to deliver the following:

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, nineteen children and two teachers were murdered by an eighteen-year-old man armed with guns. If our solution to this violence in schools is to require, or expect, teachers to carry firearms, then we have lost. Already, we demand that our teachers take on so many responsibilities and obligations--many of which we should be doing ourselves--without proper resources or renumeration; then, we label them lazy and greedy, and accuse them of indoctrinating our children. Now, to add killing and dying to that long list of duties, is indefensible, unethical, and unacceptable. Having teachers meet violence with violence is wrong. Asking them to make more sacrifices is cruel. 

Teachers are not soldiers; they are not security guards.

Those are not their role in our society.